Bishop Peter Libasci, centre, arrives at the Cathedral of St. Joseph for his Installation service as the Tenth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, USA (2011). A lawsuit is accusing him of sexually abusing an unidentified, then 12- or 13-year-old youth, on numerous occasions in 1983 and 1984.
Photo: AP/Jim Cole
The latest senior Catholic to face allegations of the sexual abuse of a minor is Peter Libasci, bishop of the New Hampshire Catholic Diocese of Manchester.
A Lawsuit filed in Supreme Court in Suffolk County, New York alleges that he sexually abused a male youth aged 12 or 13 on numerous occasions while serving as a pastor in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Saints Cyril and Methodius School in Deer Park, New York, in 1983 and 1984. The youth was a student at the school at the time. The church and school are run by the Diocese of Rockville Center.
We worry that allowing the Bishop to remain in ministry may further endanger young lives in New Hampshire. We hope that the Bishop’s Metropolitan or the Vatican intervene to correct this troubling situation immediately.
The lawsuit also names the church and the school as well as the Sisters of St Joseph, which is responsible for organizing activities at the school. Rockville centre is one of a number of New York Catholic dices that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because of the large number of abuse allegations which have emerged since New York abolished the statute of limitations, allowing formerly time-lapsed allegations to come to court. This is but one of the more than 200 allegations of sexual abuse that have been filed against this one Catholic diocese since then.Statement by Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
The Diocese of Rockville Center remains committed to the ongoing work of creating a safe environment in the Church.
Rockville Center say they have notified the Vatican because the allegation is against a serving Bishop. They have also notified the Suffolk coroner of the allegations against Bishop Libasci. Less than two years ago, in an attempt to address past abuses, the Diocese of Manchester published the names of 73 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse against them, stretching back to the 1950s. Most of the named priests have either died, left the priesthood of been banned from public ministry.Statement issued by Rockville Center Diocese
Bishop Libasci has dedicated over 43 years to serving others as a Roman Catholic priest, during which time he has earned an impeccable reputation for treating all individuals with dignity and respect. While Bishop Libasci has great compassion for victims of sexual abuse, he will be forced to vigorously defend against these false allegations in court.
Before Libasci was appointed to his present post by Pope Benedict XVI, the Manchester Diocese had been criticised for its handling of sexual abuse allegations and struck a deal whereby neither the Diocese as an institution nor any of its personnel would be prosecuted for their part in any mishandling of abuse allegations in return for implementing 'strict' new procedures for the handling of future allegations. This included suspending any priest accused of abuse.Michael Connolly
Attorney for Bishop Libasci
Attorney for Bishop Libasci
So far, Bishop Libasci remains in post. He vigorously denies the allegations. Observers are wondering whether the Diocese will stick to the agreement it made with the state of New Hampshire, to suspend any priests accused of sexual abuse of minors in return for immunity from prosecution over its handling of past
accusations, or whether Pope Francis will intervene to protect the children of the Diocese and the Diocese itself from possible further damage.
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